252. Clemency; movie review

CLEMENCY
Cert 15
112 mins
BBFC advice: Contains disturbing scenes, brief bloody images

One of my best friends has written a book about the experiences of a death row prisoner who still vows that he is innocent of the crime for which he may be executed.
Richard Glossip has been reprieved at the last minute on three occasions and my pal has been one of those he chose to witness his last moments.
Consequently, I received regular updates on the emotional toll it was taking on the potential spectator.
News reports often take this angle on the death penalties handed down to Americans and yet few realise the impact on those who have to carry out the judiciaries' sentences.
Chinonye Chukwu's movie attempts to put that right by focusing on a prison warden, Bernadine Williams, played by Alfre Woodard.
The movie begins as she supervises the botched execution of one inmate and then focuses on the lead-up to another.
Despite her long experience, Bernadine is facing huge strain which has fall-out both at works and at home.
Wendell Pierce portrays her husband who, despite his best efforts, has lost his wife to her job.
Meanwhile, she surprises herself by creating a empathetic bond with a death-row inmate (Aldis Hodge) who she is going to be compelled to execute.
This scenario forces her to analyse the juxtaposition of what she initially believed to be doing her civic duty and the reality of sanctioned killing.
I am surprised that Woodard has not received louder plaudits for her performance. She isn't off-screen for more than a minute or two and every scene is physically and mentally rigorous.
Meanwhile, I also commend Chukwu's direction which avoids many of the usual prison cliches and allows the audience to come to their own conclusions over the right and wrong sides of the death penalty debate.
Yes, Clemency seems to have gone under the radar during the Covid period. It deserves a bigger audience.

Reasons to watch: Execution from a rare angle
Reasons to avoid: The camera often lingers too long

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 22 people were executed in the United States in 2019. The number of death sentences imposed was 34. There were 2,620 people on death row in the United States as of January 1, 2020.

The final word. Chinonye Chukwu: “Day five on set, the scene that comes after the moment where Bernadine breaks down the (execution) protocol, I started sobbing at the monitor. I realised I was not allowing myself to feel and I wasn’t giving space to my own humanity through this process. I realized how much of myself was in this.” Indie Wire

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